The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 01 : $b Prolegomena; Egypt, Mesopotamia
History
The historians' history of the world in twenty-five volumes, volume 01 : $b Prolegomena; Egypt, Mesopotamia
World history
The internal arrangements of the pyramid are of the simplest character;
they consist of a granite-built passage carefully concealed in the
north face, running at first at an angle of 25°, and then horizontally,
until stopped by a granite barrier at a point which indicates a change
of direction; a second passage, which begins on the outside, at a
distance of some yards in advance of the base of the pyramid, and
proceeds, after passing through an unfinished chamber, to rejoin the
first; finally, a chamber hollowed in the rock, but surmounted by a
pointed roof of fine limestone slabs. The sarcophagus was of granite,
and, like that of Khufu, bore neither the name of a king nor the
representation of a god.
Of Khaf-Ra’s sons, Men-kau-Ra (the Mycerinus of the Greeks), who
was his successor, could scarcely dream of excelling his father and
grandfather; his pyramid, “the Supreme” (Her), barely attained an
elevation of 216 feet, and was exceeded in height by those which were
built at a later date. Up to one-fourth of its height it was faced with
syenite, and the remainder, up to the summit, with limestone. For lack
of time, doubtless, the dressing of the granite was not completed,
but the limestone received all the polish it was capable of taking.
The enclosing wall was extended to the north so as to meet, and be of
one width with, that of the Second Pyramid. The temple was connected
with the plain by a long and almost straight causeway, which ran for
the greater part of its course upon an embankment raised above the
neighbouring ground.
The arrangement of the interior of the pyramid is somewhat complicated,
and bears witness to changes brought about unexpectedly in the course
of construction. The original central mass probably did not exceed 180
feet in breadth at the base, with a vertical height of 154 feet. It
contained a sloping passage cut into the hill itself, and an oblong
low-roofed cell devoid of ornament. The main bulk of the work had been
already completed, and the casing not yet begun, when it was decided to
modify the proportions of the whole. Men-kau-Ra was not, it appears,
the eldest son and appointed heir of Khaf-Ra; while still a mere prince
he was preparing for himself a pyramid similar to those which lie near
“the Horizon,” when the deaths of his father and brother called him to
the throne.
What was sufficient for him as a child, was no longer suitable for him
as a Pharaoh; the mass of the structure was increased to its present
dimensions, and a new inclined passage was effected in it, at the
end of which a hall panelled with granite gave access to a kind of
antechamber. The latter communicated by a horizontal corridor with the
first vault, which was deepened for the occasion; the old entrance, now
no longer of use, was roughly filled up.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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